Rui Pinto: hacker, criminal, or whistleblower?

Rui Pinto, locked in pre-trial detention, has the confines of a Portuguese prison cell to consider if exposing football’s dirty secrets was worth the risk.
Said to be the main source behind the football leaks tax scandals, Pinto is paying the price for leaking four terabytes of confidential information to German news magazine, Der Spiegel - more than eighty-eight million documents were handed over, almost twice the size of the Panama Papers leak.
This information led directly to the conviction of top soccer players for tax evasion, and unveiled the rape allegations against Cristiano Ronaldo.
Outraged by what she says is Rui Pinto’s unjust detention, deep seated corruption in Portuguese public life and the European football industry, Ana Gomes, an outgoing MEP with the Socialists & Democrats, has launched a campaign of support for Pinto.

Gomes is rallying incoming MEPs to pursue the case for justice, and to ensure whistleblower protection for Pinto, and others like him. “Pinto is not a criminal, he’s a hero,” said Gomes.

In this video interview, Gomes speaks with Euractiv’s Brian Maguire in the European Parliament.

Twitter: @AnaGomesMEP @BrianMaguireEU

[MrG]

Portugal is the country where in one side there is sophisticated fascism and corruption and on the other docile innocent people. Rui Pinto is a true hero.

[dawoodwaris]

The judge needs to be investigated how much he received as kickbacks

[eavyeavy]

Rui Pinto is jailed for this. Big money club tell him to be arrested for exposing the truth.

[franciscogomes]

Thank you Dr. Ana Gomes for the fight and protect yourself because this banditry that is on the loose can hurt you ... they have done this all their lives and have the protection of those who could have them in prison ..

[NickPeters-ugvk]

A brave man ... it's all about the greedy "they want more "

[franciscogomes]

É uma injustiça haver os buracos, os crimes, os desvios e depois nunca é ninguém culpado ou responsabilizado...o BDP ea CMVM são os principais culpados de deixarem essa gente fazer estes crimes...nada investigam....nada proibem, para eles é o deixa andar que o povo paga....ora isto um dia terá que ter uma solução...nem que seja com armas mas como está não podemos continuar...ainda hoje li que a CGD e outros deram milhões a Isabelinha estão todos sujos e no entanto vingam-se em aumentar as comissões para taparem os buracos.

[EAMCFC]

As a city fan i hope he is severely punished

[monahlise]

L'extra terrestre je suis Angolaise et je trouve que faut avoir des c....Mais je lamente et j'espère que vont le libérer le plus rapidement possible, ça a pris un ampleur internationale.... "Tout a sont temps" le peuple vivait en caressant la propre misère dans l'aveuglement now is the time!!!

[dannymactheatreoflife.]

How would pinto feel if someone hacked his mothers computer . Jail the little rat he has broke the law if we all did what he has done we would be jailed why should he be any different it’s not up to him to expose companies wrong doings .